JACK TAYLOR NOVELS Priest The Dramatist The Magdalen Martyrs The Killing of the Tinkers The Guards BRANT NOVELS Calibre Vixen Blitz The McDead Taming the Alien A White Arrest CRIME NOVELS American Skin Dispatching Baudelaire London Boulevard Her Last Call to Louis Macneice The Hackman Blues Rilke on Black THE KILLING OF THE TINKERS US Jack Taylor, a disgraced ex-cop in Galway, has slid further down the slope of despair. After a year in London he returns to his home town of Galway with a leather coat and a coke habit. Someone is systematically slaughtering young travellers and dumping their bodies in the city centre. Even in the state he's in, Jack Taylor has an uncanny ability to know where to look, what questions to ask, and with the aid of an English policeman, apparently solves the case. Now he stands poised on the precipice of the most devastating decision of his career, while at the same time a rare opportunity of real and enduring love also materialises. As with The Guards, the city of Galway dances, jeers, consoles, threatens, entices, near kills and yet continues to be the ultimate ground of Jack Taylor's transcendence, all he understands of heaven and hell. Ken won a Macavity Award for The Killing of the Tinkers... it won for best novel! He was also nominated for an Anthony and a Barry Award. Buy the book from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk or an independent bookstore. PRAISE UK "Bruen confirms his rightful place among the finest noir stylists of his generation. This is a remarkable book from a singular talent."    —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The Killing of the Tinkers is not so much a thriller as a raw slice of life."    —Irish Independent "A dark heart-stopper."    —Boston Herald "For years, those of us in the know have read Ken Bruen. Now the rest of the world is catching on."    —Mark Billingham, author of Sleepyhead "A soul-mate of Jim Thompson's, or maybe James M. Cain's."    —Irish Times "A brisk, punchy read that's defiantly fresh and original, and more emotionally true than the majority of books. Irishman Bruen is one helluva a writer."    —January Magazine "You've never read a book quite like this one. Bruen writes in a sleek, creative and distinct style. He also knows how to produce a knockout ending you might not see coming."    —Rocky Mountain News "Bloodied and broken, Jack is still recognizable as Bruen's boy, a wounded street poet who believes in the redemptive properties of language."    —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review "A strong piece of crime writing."--Booklist "Bruen's hard-boiled style is perfect for his tale. What makes The Killing of the Tinkers a four-star delight is Bruen's deft narrative skills."    —Boston Globe "A Celtic Dashiell Hammett."    —Philadelphia Inquirer "A stellar crime novel."    —Toronto Globe & Mail "Gloriously entertaining. Bruen's twisted genius lies in blending noir elements with humor. What's next for Jack? Hard to say. Whatever happens, you get the feeling Bruen will delight us with his darkness all over again."    —Miami Herald "A tour-de-force noir crawl through Galway, Ireland. A tightly written tale so hardboiled you could break a tooth."    —This Week "A dazzling piece of work. Bruen's style is clipped, caustic, heartbreaking and often hilarious."    —Cleveland Plain Dealer "Amongst writers, Ken Bruen has become the crime novelist to read. He is further revolutionizing the art of crime fiction."    —George Pelecanos, author of Hard Revolution "Ken Bruen's The Killing of the Tinkers (also one of the best titles) -- tinkers being the charming Irish slang for gypsies -- is a wonderful book in his amazing Jack Taylor series. Among the many things I love about Ken Bruen's books, one is that his characters read, listen to music, care about their clothes and living spaces (however marginal) and generally have concerns beyond solving the crime at hand. Much has been said about the complex emotional life of his protagonists, and... about the music of his prose. The Killing of the Tinkers is one of his best. I can't recommend it enough."    —Meredith Anthony, author of Ladykiller